Anti aging and Green Tea

        One of the inviolable laws that govern biological events is ageing. Man has been interested in increasing the life span of human & to some extent it has been possible by controlling & curing many diseases. With the success of science, few additional years have been added in human's life & man is trying to approach in its maximum age limit. "The science that studies biological causes of ageing is called Gerontology".

          The life cycle is a period from birth to death. Average life cycle of woman is longer than man while biological process of ageing is faster in human male than the human female. During the growth period, new cells are formed faster then the rate of death of old cells. But after the maximum growth, the metabolic rate declines & rate of formation of new cells is lower than the rate of death of old cells. So the repair of damaged cells is not complete & detereoting process starts. In human being, it starts after the age of 30 years. It is therefore; biologically human body becomes functionally less efficient from the age of 30 years onward by about 0.8% every year. So the age of 30 years is a turning point in the process of human development.

          So" Ageing is the process of slow deteriotion in the structure & function of body cells, tissues & organs of human body & starts after the adult-hood."

Characteristics of Ageing:

1.   Metabolic rate gradually declines.

2.   Capacity to replace & repairing of worn-out cells gets reduced.

3.   Resistance power & adaptability gradually decreases.

4.   Bones start becoming weak.

5. Some vital organs like heart, brain, kidney, lungs etc do not function properly.

6.   Later on, cognitive impairment may appear. (The disease in which ability to think, remember & concentrate mind is lowered).

7.   Different signs in skin may appear such as: 

•           Fine lines & wrinkles.
•      Sagging skin.]
•               Age spots.
•               Dull skin.
•       Dryness etc.

• One of the main causes of ageing is the action of lipid peroxide. Lipid peroxide is produced by the action of free radical on low density lipid (LDL).

I.e. FR+LDL= LIPID PEROXIDE

        According to Professor Takuo Okada of Japan, EGCG & vitamin E of green tea can restrict the formation of lipid peroxide by trapping free radicals & hence slow the ageing & degeneration process. EGCG of green tea has been found to be more than 20 times powerful in this respect than vitamin E.

•  Appearance of different signs in skin such as fine lines, wrinkles, age spots etc is mainly due to the damage caused by free radicals. Ultra-violet rays of sun, stress et boost up the activities of free radicals. Powerful anti-oxidant capacity of green tea's catechins removes the free radicals & hence slows down ageing process such that persons appear young.

•  Dr. Shinichi Kuriyama & friends of Tokohu  University of Japan found that amount of green tea consumed was inversely related with tha risk of having cognitive impairment in the ageing process.

                                                          --Kuriyama s>, Hozawa A. & friends.

                                                    (American Journal of Clinical Nutrition-2006)

•  A study done by the University of Arizona (USA) suggested that EGCG of green tea is a powerful source of anti-oxidant which helps to remain young. Skin ageing is the result of free radical damage to cell walls & other cell structures. Sun exposure & cigarette smoking contribute to the production of these free radicals. Anti-Oxidants, on the other hand, are the molecules that neutralize the free radicals as a result of which ageing process slows down.

•  Blood sugar tends to increase with age & accelerates ageing process. Green tea lowers serum glucose levels & thus prevents people from early ageing.

IMMUNE SYSTEM & HIV PROTECTION

        Immunity is defined as the ability of the body to resist with disease. Thus, it is a defense system of our body against disease & disease causing germs.

          When a pathogen enters into the human body, pathogen releases a toxic chemical to destroy the human defense system. This toxic substance is called "Antigen". Similarly, human blood also defends themselves against & destroys that antigen by releasing a very specific chemical. This chemical is called "Antibody". This whole process of resistance of our body against disease & injury is said to be IMMUNE SYSTEM.

          White blood cells (WBC) or leucocytes act as soldiers, scavengers & protect the body against disease, Hence, WBC are the main components of our defense system. In HIV AIDS patients, this defense (immune) system becomes very weak or does not work, such that the person possesses a very high chance of getting attacked by any of the disease causing germs. Thus, HIV patients die off because of weak immune system.

•  Researchers from the Tokyo Food Techno Co. Ltd. of Japan recently found that tea catechins can help the body ward off infection & disease. Besides these, tea also strengthens the immune system of the body.

                                                                             --Prof. Yokihito Hara & Friends.

                                                                                (Anti-viral Research Vol.21)

•  Researchers of Harvard Medical School, USA, have found that drinking green tea increases the immunity of the body to fight against several infections. A vital component in tea called L-Thiamine appears to prepare the immure system to fight invading bacteria, viruses & fungi. Tea contains the vitamins thiamine (B1), Riboflavin (B2), pyridoxine, manganese, potassium & zinc; all of which make the body strong & high resistant to the disease causing germs.

•  A recent Chinese study at the Institute of Medical Bio-technology ion Beijing found that green tea catechins in general could inhibit several types of viruses including HIV-1 viruses.

• A study performed by the Laboratory of Viral Oncology in Nagoya, Japan, found that two catechins present in green tea, Epigallo catechin gallate (EGCG) & Epi-catechin gallate ECg) were able to differentially inhibit the enzymes used by the HIV virus for replication: reverse transcriptase & various DNA/RNA polymerases.

•  Researchers at the University of Sheffield, UK, have found that green tea catechin, EGCG, has a high affinity for binding to the CD4 molecule on T-cells, the very place where the HIV-1 glycoprotein 120 binds. By taking up the space on the target cell surface where the virus would attach itself, EGCG may exert a protective effect against HIV infection. The researchers concluded that EGCG has potential use as adjunctive therapy in HIV-1 infection".

                                                                --Williamson MP; Nance CL & Friends

                                                                   (J Allergy Clin Immunol 2006, 118/6)

• Dr. Jack Bukowski of Brigham & Women's Hospital, USA has found that green tea containing high concentrations of an amino acid called l-thiamine may help strengthen the body immune system response when fighting off infection. He suggests that L-theanine especially boosts the capacity of Gamma Delta T-cells, the body's first line of defense against infection.

•  Since 1989, HIV Prevention Research Center has shown that green tea has anti-HIV activity & also blocks HIV entry into T-cells.

Green Tea Boosts Production of Detox Enzymes, Rendering Cancerous Chemicals Harmless

By Sally Squires

     American Association for Cancer Research — Concentrated chemicals derived from green tea dramatically boosted production of a group of key detoxification enzymes in people with low levels of these beneficial proteins, according to researchers at Arizona Cancer Center.

These findings, published in the August issue of Cancer Epidemiology, Biomarkers & Prevention, a journal of the American Association for Cancer Research, suggest that a green tea concentrate might help some people strengthen their metabolic defense against toxins capable of causing cancer.

     In a study of 42 people, the concentrate -- composed of chemicals known as green tea catechins in amounts equal to that found in 8-16 cups of green tea -- boosted production of the enzymes, which belong to the glutathione S-transferase (GST) family, by as much as 80 percent in some participants.

     GST enzymes are believed to be crucial to the body's defense against cancer-causing chemicals and other toxins, according to the study's lead investigator, H.-H. Sherry Chow, Ph.D., a research associate professor at the University of Arizona. They modify the cancer-causing molecules that would otherwise damage cellular DNA, thus rendering them inert.

"They actually convert known carcinogens to non-toxic chemicals, and studies have shown a correlation between deficient expression of these enzymes and increased risk of developing some cancers," Chow said.

     "Expression of this enzyme varies dramatically in people due to genetic variation and environmental factors," Chow added. "Green tea catechins somehow increase gene expression of these enzymes, which can be an advantage to people with low levels to start with."

Green tea has long been of interest to researchers given studies that have shown populations in which it is often consumed, such as the Chinese and Japanese, generally have lower rates of cancer. To find out if green tea can protect against cancer, the NCI has sponsored a number of rigorous scientific studies testing capsules of the extract, Polyphenon E, that have been prepared in Japan to meet exact specifications. These pills contain epigallo catechin gallate (EGCG), a catechin known for its potent antioxidant activity, and are currently being tested against a variety of cancers in clinical trials.

     This study was designed to see if green tea catechin concentrate had any effect on the levels of GST enzymes in healthy individuals research that could explain the tea's anti-cancer properties. Healthy volunteers were asked to abstain from consuming any tea or tea-related products for four weeks. At the end of this "washout period," blood was drawn and baseline GST enzyme levels were determined for each participant. Then, the volunteers were asked to take four Polyphenon E capsules, for a total of 800 milligrams of EGCG, each morning on an empty stomach for four weeks and to abstain from drinking tea or eating many cruciferous vegetables, which contain other beneficial chemicals. Another blood sample was taken after four weeks, and GST activity was determined.

     Researchers found that use of Polyphenon E enhanced GST activity when data from all participants were included for analysis. But it had its most significant effect in volunteers whose baseline blood measurements showed low GST activity -- an 80 percent increase compared to baseline GST activity. Activity did not change in volunteers with medium GST expression, or in those with the highest levels, GST seemed to decrease slightly although researchers believe that decline was due to random variation.

     "This is the first clinical study to show proof that chemicals in green tea can increase detoxification enzymes in humans," Chow said. "There may be other mechanism in play by which green tea may protect against cancer development, but this is a good place to start."

     The NCI supported the study and researchers from NCI also participated in conducting the study. 

Note: This story has been adapted from a news release issued by American Association for Cancer Research.

REFERENCE:
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